Triangles and Wire

Sometimes the simplest jewelry designs are the most enduring. Back in November I did a blog post about resurrecting an old style of earrings that I got tired of making. In that post I proclaimed that I would work on those earrings the very next week. HA! Three months later, I finally did it. I need to remember to NOT commit to such tight time frames any more.

Back to the earrings. They really are very simple. I start with a length of 20 ga wire and make a tight spiral. Hammer (or roll) to flatten, form in and around the triangle glass bead, make the hook part and finish. It took me a bit (2 pairs)  to remember some of the finer points of the forming. But then it went rather quickly.

There are 22 pairs in the photo above. Some are done with sterling silver wire and some are with gold filled. Some are larger triangles (12 mm) and some are small triangles (7 mm). Some are transparent, some are opaque and some have a matte finish. There are a couple of pairs with a metallic finish and a couple of pairs where the glass has graphic patterns.

Cobalt blue, transparent, large, sterling silver

In the center: red, transparent, small, gold filled

In the foreground: bronze metallic, opaque, small, gold filled

In the background: amber, transparent, large, gold filled

Cobalt blue, opaque (matte finish), large, gold filled

Teal, translucent, large, sterling silver

I'm not sure which pairs will end up in my etsy shop. It will depend on which ones photograph well and which ones I can recreate, based on how many glass triangles I have in stock in any particular color. The sterling ones will be $25 and the gold filled will be $28.

If you see a pair that you would like to have, let me know!

A New Earring Design!!

I've been plugging away, building earring and necklace inventory for our busy Alaskan summer tourist season, relying on tried and true designs.  Then, just 2 days ago, a new idea popped into my head.  It's actually a variation on a design I did a few years ago and allowed to fizzle out.  I love when this happens -- just when you think you'll never come up with something new, there it is!

I started with one of my sterling silver tornado elements and wrapped size 15 seed beads all around it.  Yes, I have done this part before.  The new variation is the dangle on the bottom.

I will probably list a few pairs in my etsy shop eventually and the rest will be for my booth at the Alaska State Fair and my fall craft shows.

Whiskey Quartz cubes with gold seed beads

Garnet Briolettes with rosy seed beads

Amethyst Briolettes with purple seed beads

And yes, there are plenty more pairs completed and several more in the planning stages!

A New Necklace for a New Year

The first new item in my etsy shop for 2012 is a stunner, if I do say so myself.  I started with a circle I fused from fine silver wire.  After hammering it for texture, I started to add dangles of white keshi pearls and pink tourmaline.  It sat like that for a week or more before I decided how to complete the necklace.  Once I found that gorgeous ruby briolette, the necklace came together pretty quickly.

To see the necklace from some other angles, click on the photo.  It will take you directly to the listing in my etsy shop.

New Earrings in My Etsy Shop -- Finally!

Now that the Great Flooring Installation of 2011 is complete, I'm finally back to work in my studio.  There's nothing like a little renovation to get me motivated again.  My studio was completely empty for several days as the floor was installed, so I took the opportunity to sort through stuff, clean and rearrange a bit.  While it looks the same (to the untrained eye), it feels very different to me.  In a very good way.

Without any further delay, I'll share with you two new pairs of earrings in my etsy shop.

Midnight Blue Pearls

Concave Cut Green Amethyst

Stay tuned -- I have more earrings to come.  The photos need to be edited, blah, blah blah.  As usual, click on the photos to go directly to the listings in my etsy shop.

The Tragedy is Now a Success!

Hey, remember this post, about the chipped ruby in zoisite briolette? I finally made time to try my idea of building up the chip with modeling paste.  What I had on hand was molding paste, often used with stencils.

I sculpted a bit of it onto the broken area, with a piece of wire in the hole.  Then I removed the wire and let the paste dry for about 2 hours.  I proceeded to wrap the stone with sterling silver wire as I normally would and viola!

If you can't tell, the one on the right was the broken one.  The molding paste was white and a bit of it was showing, so I used a black sharpie to cover it up.  I am pretty pleased with these results.

Rutilated Quartz

I've made a couple of new pairs of earrings that are variations on a theme.  I tend to do this variation thing a lot.  I listed two of the pairs yesterday in my etsy shop.

Rutilated Quartz with Garnets:

Rutilated Quartz with Peridot:

I'm sure I will find more rutilated quartz pairs to continue this theme.  Some of the little beads I plan to add are aqua blue cz, citrine, black spinel, crystal quartz, carnelian.  They probably won't all end up in my etsy shop, but will instead be consigned or sold wholesale.  Later in the year, I will make more that will be part of my show inventory.

Totally Green

No, I'm not talking about my eco-friendly lifestyle.  I'm talking about a brand new pair of earrings.  These chrome diopside briolettes really spoke to me when I found them in Tucson.  I suspended them from fine silver circles I fused from wire and added a bunch of vesuvianite (often mistakenly called vessonite, which is not the name of any stone) rondelles.

These earrings have lots of movement and the two different greens really work well together.  You can find them for sale in my etsy shop.  Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Some New Earrings

Even with the new puppy taking so much of my time (not complaining, just explaining), I was able to complete some new earrings and even made some time to photograph them and list them in my etsy shop.

smooth green amethyst with a cluster of soft pink pearls

a cluster of amethysts

moonstone teardrops

Click on any of the photos to go directly to the listings.  Thanks for looking!

New Necklace : White on White

I suppose being surrounded by the white stuff inspired me to make a very white necklace.  The focal point is a beautiful moonstone briolette.  Part of the chain consists of white freshwater pearls securely wired together.  The remainder is oval rolo style chain (my favorite, but generally more expensive that regular cable link chain).  Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Ever since I've started using the "auto" feature on my too-complicated-for-me digital camera, my results have improved dramatically.  Imagine that.  I decided that I didn't have anything to prove, so I calmly switched to auto and I felt an immediate sense of relief.  Apparently, my camera is smarter than I am.  And I'm ok with that.

New Iolite Earrings

I've had these iolite briolettes for a couple of years, but had a hard time making pairs of them. On the strand, they all looked the same, but in reality, there are variations in size, color, shape and drill. I know this is an old refrain, but it's a consistent problem (?) in the world of beading.

Even these two stones aren't an exact match.  There is a slight color variation and the sizes aren't identical either.  Such is the beauty of handmade jewelry!

If you must have these earrings, click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

New Emerald & Tourmaline Earrings

I've had this graduated strand of chubby emerald rondelles since Tucson (last February) and finally started using them.  Does anyone else do that?  Save up your most special beads for several months before actually cutting  the strand?  And have I mentioned that I really, really dislike graduated strands of gemstones?  I use most of my gems for earrings, and matching up beads from graduated strands can be ridiculously time consuming.  But I digress.

I made a pair of these right before the Bad Girls of the North craft show in Fairbanks in September.  They sold pretty quickly, so I made another for the Anchorage show.  But they did not sell, so I listed them in my etsy shop.

I topped the emeralds with a tight cluster of earthy, multi- colored tiny tourmaline rondelles.  The combination is rich and warm.  If you feel you must have these, simply click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

New! Concave Cut Whiskey Quartz Briolettes

This is a cut one does not see very often.  I did a search on etsy, and only 32 pairs of earrings showed up -- a minor miracle!

The color of these whiskey quartz stones is warm and rich. It's sort of a cross between, well, whiskey, Dijon mustard and honey.  Sounds like a fine marinade to me. hehe

And the matching necklace ...

Click the photos to go directly to the listings in my etsy shop.

Peach Moonstone Earrings

Just when I think I've completely run out of new ideas for earring designs, something happens.  Rick comes back in from his studio/shop (it's a building separate from the house and I only let him back in the house at lunch or after 5pm -- I run a tight ship) with a bag of sterling silver ovals that I asked him to solder closed for me.

Here, I must digress to tell you why these ovals were cut in the first place.  I make these very popular and good selling bracelets of mixed chains.

As you can see, half of the bracelet is large link chain that I purchase in bulk, by the spool.  Yes, it's very expensive because it's heavy.  Those of you that work with chain know that every time you cut a link, you lose a link.  This is not so painful when working with small cable chain, but this big stuff really hurts!  Each link is about an inch long.  I had a big bag full of them and .... continued ...

So, I'm staring at these now solid links and I start scheming.  This is the result:

Voila!  A new earring design is born.  Needless to say, I made a whole series of similar earrings with a variety of stones.  They are longer than many of my designs and will (hopefully) appeal to a different set of shoppers.

I only have one show left this season and for that I am grateful.  It's the "lightest" show season I have had since 1997 and it feels good.  If you live in Southcentral Alaska, please visit me at the Bad Girls of the North craft show at the Millennium Hotel, Nov 5 & 6.

Autumn Inspired Jewelry

I recently listed these two new items in my etsy shop.  This first item is a pair of earrings whose main components are antiqued brass leaves.  I like the way the leaves have a slight indentation down the center -- perfect for adding a bead dangle.  In this case, I chose little triangular shaped green glass beads.

This next necklace features a beautifully bold marquis cut carnelian briolette.  You all know how much I love this shape.  The coin pearl next to it has been in my collection for a long time.  It seems to tone down the bright orange of the carnelian just the right amount.

I guess I've been feeling the chill of autumn.  These new additions to my etsy shop certainly reflect the colors and feeling of the season.

Two New Pairs of Twisted Tornado Earrings

I've recently listed 2 more pairs of my popular twisted tornado earrings.  This first pair features bright green seed beads on the outermost wrapping.

For the next pair, I chose white seed beads, which are much more prominent against the gray, oxidized sterling silver.

It's interesting how the same design can look so different simply by selecting different color seed beads.

I actually had a 3rd pair that I thought looked great.  That is, until I set them up for the "hanging" photo.  They were not close enough in length to be considered a pair!  In person, on my earring display cards, they look fine.  But in a photo, not so much.

Oh well.

Variations on a Theme

You've seen this style of earrings before.  If it's still selling for me, I'll continue to make it.  And it has been selling well, mostly in local stores.  While the possible combinations of tiny rondelles seems endless, I have a tendency to stick with proven winners: garnet & labradorite, peridot & amethyst.

This pair is quite different.  I used rhodolite garnets, mandarin garnets and citrine for a fruit punch sort of look.  The pink, orange and yellow combo has a nice appeal for me these days -- it's very refreshing!

 Click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop!

Rutilated Quartz ... to die for

The strand of briolettes that these 2 came from was amazing ... and these are the only 2 that made a pair.  I find that incredibly frustrating.  I guess many necklaces will follow.

These brios are quite large and I didn't want to cover much of their beauty, so I used the "large-hole-silver-bead" method of finishing them for earrings.  This method secures the bead and hides the wire wrapping above the bead without obscuring any of its beauty.  Plus it makes a nice little nest for the pearl to rest in.

These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.  Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Coppery Pearls

These earrings are brand new and feature freeform wire elements that look like smashed bird nests.  To me, anyway.  They started life as round beads that I bought in Tucson.  I didn't like the way they looked when suspended from a pair of earwires.  So what did I do?  I put them on my bench block and hit them with my hammer.  I like them much better now.  Actually, they are far more interesting and they look better as earring components.  Smashing stuff is fun.

Click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop. 


Thanks to all of you for your warm thoughts and condolences on the passing of my Xena.  It means a lot to me.

New in the Shop! Whiskey Quartz and Freshwater Pearls

Remember this post?  This new necklace is one that I did after I completed that post, but it is the same style.  I started with a large whiskey quartz briolette and used a combination of copper freshwater pearls and chain to complete the necklace.

I think it turned out beautiful and it was difficult to simply NOT keep it for myself!  I love these warm colors. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop.

Matte Finish Chalcedony

I must admit that I don't really understand these beads, but I knew I had to have them as soon as I saw them.  They are honey colored chalcedony with a matte finish.  I have no idea how they do that and I didn't think to ask at the time of purchase.

While making these earrings, I was about to attach the drop to the earwire, when I thought "booooring".  Then I had a stroke of brilliance -- it happens so rarely.  I added that beautiful vermeil spacer to the mix.  Wow, I thought, that looks great!  It adds to the warmth of the chalcedony and golden pearl and provides a nice contrast to the oxidized silver.

Just when you think you've run out of new ideas ......